Polygon is a Layer-2 scaling solution for Ethereum, designed to address the main Ethereum network's limitations of high gas fees and slow transaction throughput. By processing transactions on a parallel sidechain and committing periodic checkpoints to Ethereum, Polygon achieves dramatically higher performance at a fraction of the cost.

The Polygon PoS chain uses a Proof-of-Stake consensus mechanism secured by validators who stake POL tokens. The network achieves block confirmation times of under two seconds and can process up to 65,536 transactions per block, compared to Ethereum's approximate limit of 30-50 transactions per block.

Polygon's zkEVM technology brings Zero Knowledge cryptographic proofs to an Ethereum-compatible environment, allowing existing Ethereum dApps to migrate to Polygon with full security guarantees. The zkEVM inherits Ethereum's security without requiring trust in a committee of validators.

The AggLayer, introduced as part of Polygon 2.0, creates a unified cross-chain liquidity layer connecting all Polygon chains. It allows tokens and messages to move seamlessly across ZK chains without the need for bridges, dramatically improving capital efficiency across the ecosystem.